§ 1. Mr. Graham Whiteasked the Minister of Labour whether an instruction has been given to officers of the Unemployment Assistance Board directing that additional winter allowances shall only be given in cases where 50 per cent. or more of the income of the applicant is derived from the Unemployment Assistance Board?
§ The Minister of Labour (Mr. Ernest Brown)As I informed the hon. Member for Merthyr (Mr. S. O. Davies) on 1st December last, a copy of the instruction issued by the Board has been placed in the Library and I would refer the hon. Member to it. Although under that instruction attention is to be particularly directed to households where not less than one-half of the total income is represented by the allowance from the Board, it is laid down that all cases are to be considered upon their merits. In fact, winter additions have been made in a large number of cases where the proportion which the Board's allowance bears to the total household income is less than 50 per cent.
§ 3. Mr. A. Jenkinsasked the Minister of Labour the number of applications for winter allowances made at the Blaenavon, Pontypool, and Pontnewydd Employment Exchanges, and the number granted, together with the total cost, at each?
§ Mr. BrownWith regard to the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the instruction relating to winter adjustments, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House, from which it will be seen that separate application for such adjustments is not necessary; no information is available as to the extent to which such applications have in fact been made. With regard to the second part, I regret that information relating to Employment Exchange areas is not available, but I will forward to the hon. Member figures based on the Board s administrative areas which I hope will serve his purpose.